As the Criterium du Dauphine rolled into Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse, Stage 2 of the 8-day race was in the books. The unexpected excitement today included several general classification contenders caught behind the break when the peloton split due to wind. Cadel Evans of BMC and Bradley Wiggins and Edvald Boasson Hagen of Team Sky spent precious energy catching up to the front, a reminder that cyclists can also have a bad day at the office. Race leader Alexander Vinokourov of Astana took advantage of his sleepy competitors, gaining several seconds of time on them. Perhaps this is another example of riders like Vino making their own luck by paying attention and riding hard all day.
The surprise stage win came from HTC-Highroad’s John Degenkolb, a 22-year-old in his first year in the pro circuit. This was his fifth win of the season, and the most significant thus far. Degenkolb snuck in through the final meters, besting veterans such as Thomas Voeckler of Europcar. He also had an unexpectedly good performance at the prologue individual time trial on Sunday, when he came in fourth, just six seconds behind stage winner Lars Boom of Rabobank.
While an inclined finish, today’s stage was considered one of two possibilities for the sprinters at the 2011 Dauphine. Garmin-Cervelo drove at the front to make the most of the split for a possible sprint win for Tyler Farrar, but he was nowhere to be seen at the line. Perhaps the next flat stage will be a better opportunity for Farrar, who is the most reliable competitor to Mark Cavendish. A win at the Dauphine, where Cavendish is not competing, would be a tasty appetizer for Farrar, proof of good form and a hint of vigorous competition at the Tour de France next month.
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